Pallor
by Iko.Willows
Summary: The LEP has been asked to face the war of thier lives- they are to use all thier resources in wiping out a clan of vampires. Artemis is called upon, but what is humming beneath the surface here? A ArtemisFowl/Twilight crossover. No OCs.
1. Prologue

Artemis Fowl and all associated items are copyright to Eoin Colfer. Twilight and all associated items are copyright to Stephanie Meyer. I do not hold claim to any of thier ideas. Please enjoy. There are no OCs/MarySues in this crossover. I have enough characters to deal with anyway, so dont worry about it.

* * *

**Prologue**

Foaly swallowed, staring at the screen. Perspiration ran into his eye and he blinked it away. Ten more seconds.

Police Plaza was silent – everyone's eyes were glued to the communication screens, waiting for the inevitable connection. Holly took a deep breath, exhaling as quietly as she could, but it seemed deafening in the tense silence. There were flickers, then, that slowly solidified – first a vague outline, then a more solid face-shape. Pale skin, deep eyes, white hair, a slight grin.

"Greetings," the timeless voice murmured to them. Foaly swallowed again. Every fairy in the plaza put their brains in gear, switching easily through the gift of tongues to Italian. "We have something to discuss with your commanders."

"How may the People help you… Aro?"

The vampire smiled and leaned in closer to the screen, his eyes glimmering. "I want help in taking down a certain clan – their leader is Carlisle Cullen."

* * *

Artemis sighed and stared down at the opera-stage. The actors (yet again) were mediocre and held little interest for him. He had seen _The Taming of the Shrew_ dozens of times in his short 17 years, and nothing truly innovative had come of it. If the lights had been just a little brighter, he would have read from his pocket manual _Courtesy and Propriety_ (a pointed birthday gift from his mother who insisted that he didn't get out enough). He didn't find it interesting, for it was merely a compilation of behavioral facts of which he was already aware.

Artemis smoothed back his black hair and sighed – a few strands fell back in his eyes, and he swept them back expertly. He needed a haircut, but for some reason, Angeline Fowl seemed determined to have it in this sort of tousled state. He missed his tidy cut. Butler, standing behind him, smiled a little and shifted to his left foot – only thirty minutes remaining. Then it was back in the limousine, back to Fowl Manor, and back into a less dull environment.

The boy decided, since the light was poor, that he should instead begin to identify the various peoples of importance in the room. He had already had business dealings (both shady and legal) with over three-fourths of them, but it didn't hurt to run through a mental checklist.

_Box 1, Russian nobles. Legal and illegal enterprises, all dealing with weaponry and medicines._

_Box 2, Prince of Wales. Legal enterprises, all dealing with shipping and machinery._

_Box 3, the Fowl family. Legal enterprises now._ He paused his mental checklist to make a small smile. Legal. How his father just _loved_ being legal. He didn't exercise his intellect as much (in Artemis' respective opinion), but he still loved it. Not as much as Angeline loved it though. If she wasn't in love with Artemis Senior before, she sure was now.

_On to Box 4, three Turkish diplomats. One enterprise, illegal, dealing with frozen goods. _Another snort. Frozen goods, indeed. As if compression bombs were frozen goods. He had to make sure that they never made the mistake of using an ice-cream truck for that sort of venture ever again.

_Box 5…_ Artemis's eyes narrowed. The three men seated there were obviously natives, but they were old, and dressed in simple grey suits. Their skin was a strange milky-white, even more bleached of pigment than Artemis'. Though, to be fair to the poor genius, he had been working out more on the grounds. Butler had yet to push him to running five miles straight, but they were working on it.

He went back to analyzing them, sinking into his seat just a little – not enough to cut off the blood-flow to his brain, but enough to give him a little bit of a better view of the Italians. The one closest to the edge was white-haired, and the other two had black hair. They all sat perfectly still in their seats – like statues, carved out of white marble. The boy frowned. They didn't shift once under his scrutiny. His eyes then shifted to the two children in the seats behind the men – an odd placement, for children were often seated in front, where they could be quickly disciplined. And that was in a normal theatre. In grand, Italian theatres, such as this one, children were almost never allowed. But these two were perfectly behaved – little dolls, pale and dressed up tidily. They sat there, also perfectly still, but their eyes did not remain fixed on the play for long. The girl swiftly looked at Artemis and made direct eye contact with him, as if she could sense his stare. He stiffened in his chair, but could not look away.

Even in the dim light, he could tell that the little girl had red eyes. Her porcelain face, though sweet-looking, held those two fascinating, and simultaneously frightening, orbs. He felt like he was drowning, and he actually could sense his breath grow short in his chest.

If Artemis Fowl didn't know any better, he would have thought that he was looking at a pixie. But she was not quite cherubic enough – there was something a little predatory, a little more feral about this girl. Yes, Opal Koboi had been devious and demented and cat-like, but she never actually looked dangerous. Just mad. This girl, thought Artemis, as he turned away with his head spinning, was a huntress. A true Artemis.

He took several deep breaths before glancing back at her out of the corner of his eyes. She was back to looking at the play, but her head was inclined towards her brother, her lips a soft blur of movement. The boy smiled, never once looking at her, and squeezed her hand. They rose together, and the girl touched the hand of the white-haired man. He glanced at her, smiled, then went back to watching the play. The children exited, then, and Artemis felt a strange chill run down his spine. His cell phone softly vibrated in his pocket, making no noise.

The boy stiffened. Only five people knew his cell phone number: the first was his father, the second, his mother. The third was Butler, though he rarely called it anymore, as Artemis was currently attending a college close to Fowl Manor. The last two on the list weren't even human.

It was simple, really. It didn't take a genius (which Artemis was) to determine that the only person that was calling him at that moment was a civilian of the city of Haven. He carefully excused himself to the bathroom, and Butler followed him out into the hall. It was empty.

He ducked into a niche and pulled out the vibrating phone. The glowing caller ID confirmed his suspicions: _Holly. _He swallowed. Holly never called him these days unless she had no other choice. It was a hard truth, but a truth nonetheless. He carefully pressed the _Talk_ button and brought the phone to his ear.

"Good evening, Holly," he said softly, trying to stay calm. "How may I help you?"

There was a slight pause, and then she sighed. "Get your parents out of the manor. Or get yourself out of the manor. Get some place we can meet, some place secure."

Artemis flickered a glance at Butler, who nodded and pulled out his own phone, tapping into the line with practiced ease. "We're listening."

"Artemis, we're in for something big," she said, her voice strained. "The LEP asked me to help as a civilian. That should be enough to tell you that it's serious."

He nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Yes, Holly, I'm listening."

Another deep breath. "You're not going to like this."

Butler growled. "Holly." His tone was a little short, but it got his point across.

"I know, I'm sorry, old friend," she said hurriedly. "I'm nervous, that's all." Artemis now began to panic (quietly in his head, of course). Holly was dancing in circles, scared. This really was serious – the shaking in his hands was evident to that. "Artemis… we're going to go to war with a vampire coven."

* * *

Please review! That will really help motivate me and keep me going with this! Ideas, suggestions, and complaints are welcome. I want to make this as entertaining for you readers as I possibly can, so your input it most welcome! 


	2. Drowned

Artemis Fowl and all associated items are copyright to Eoin Colfer. Twilight and all associated items are copyright to Stephanie Meyer. I hold no claim to thier characters or plots. On that note, please enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter One**

The last ten minutes of the play were excruciatingly long for both Butler and Artemis. The boy genius found himself on the edge of his seat, staring down at the actors intensely, as if his glare alone could speed up the play. He knew it was irrational and it wasn't helping anything to be so tense, but he couldn't help it. His brain was in shock, and his body was responding to that. Sweaty palms, shaking nerves, twitching muscles, inability to concentrate, dryness of the mouth, acrid taste in the throat – all textbook reactions to something that Artemis had, somehow, always been aware of.

The existence of vampires didn't surprise him. After all, if trolls and fairies and pixies and leprechauns could exist, why not the equally elusive vampires? Yet, still Artemis tried to calm his quickly-beating heart to no avail.

The Lower Elements were going to _war_ with a vampire coven. And by the sounds of it, they really didn't want to. Holly's explanation had been brief and vague at most, and Artemis felt that there was more to the story than she was letting on. There was something she wasn't telling him yet. He needed to get home, get into his lab, shut himself off to his parents so that he could get more in-depth into the situation. The more information he got, the better he could handle it. The few textbook reactions he would have.

Butler was equally sweating – he wasn't sure about this new venture. Vampires meant bloodlust. Anything in and under the world that liked blood had a tendency to find his principle. It was how his job was. And Butler was truly starting to feel to effects of his age, now. He wasn't sure, even with Juliet's help, if he could handle this. Mentally, he was sure that he could take on any challenge, but physically was an entirely different matter.

Lines were recited, and Artemis found himself mouthing them four times before they were said – he pressed his lips into a thin line, willing himself into a state of calm. Being keyed up all the way home would certainly alert even his air-headed mother of his anxiety, and that was the last thing he needed. He could explain it away, but lying to his parents was getting harder these days. His desire for criminal ventures had died some time two years ago, finally, of which everyone had been glad, but he had felt a hole there, something missing from himself. Being a criminal was a part of him, and he knew it. He had convinced Holly to continue to have him as a consultant for the People, and it helped ease some of that emptiness, and he filled his spare time with various studies and family ventures like this one, but it just never seemed enough…

It was over. Artemis blinked and stood with the rest, clapping half-heartedly before walking out behind his mother and father, who talked, arm in arm. It was nice to see them still so companionable and happy, even after three years. The time without his father had been unbearable for Angeline, cracking her sanity, and Artemis still had nightmares about those nights he would wake up to hear her screaming or weeping or laughing hysterically. He shook his head as they passed out the doors – Butler was at his right, scanning the area like he usually did. Juliet was waiting with the car, holding the door open for them. She had matured, a bit, over the passed couple of years, and she was less girlish now. Her expression had a more set determination, and her eyes were darker, bleaker, a little more like her brother's. Artemis smiled at her briefly before glancing at his mother, who was now making a fuss.

"Juliet, dear, I think I left my purse inside," she said softly. "Could you go and get it for me?"

"Yes ma'am," she said professionally, but she rolled her eyes where only Artemis and Butler could see. "Right away." She waited until they were all seated, rechecked the car for bugs and bombs, nodded to her brother in the driver's seat, then walked inside.

They waited a long time. "Surely my purse isn't that hard to find," Angeline Fowl said in a quizzical, apologetic tone. Artemis Fowl Senior soothed her with a few words, but Artemis became agitated. It really shouldn't take that long.

Butler didn't think so either, and he discreetly called her phone. There was a pause, and then he turned back to them, his eyes dark. "We're going," he said, his voice monotone. "I'll come back to pick up Juliet."

Angeline sat forward in her seat, her silver evening gown shimmering in the dull light. "Butler?"

Artemis quelled the panic. The phone buzzed in his pocket, and he only had one option left. "Drive, Butler," he whispered, staring into his father's eyes. The manservant nodded and pulled out, easily, controlled, and Artemis Senior's eyes widened.

"Artemis?" he asked, voice faint.

"Arty?" his mother echoed, pitch rising in suppressed hysterics.

He set his expression, holding his father's eye contact. "Don't worry, Father," he said softly. "I'll take care of it."

"Artemis, what is going on?" Angeline cried, reaching to grab his hands. He pulled back, stiffly, expression still set. "What's happened to Juliet?!"

"Mrs. Fowl, please stay calm," Butler begged, swerving through traffic as his instinct began to slowly overrule his senses. "Please, we don't know."

"Artemis, you will tell me now-"

"Arty, where is Juliet?!"

"-Fowl Junior, I am your father!-"

"Why did we leave her behind?!-"

"Silence!" the teen roared, glaring at both his parents. They stared back, his father fuming, his mother in tears. Artemis sat back and regained his composure. "Please. I need… quiet. I need to think."

"About _what_, Artemis?" Artemis Senior pressed. "What is going on?"

He took a deep breath, prepared to lie. "…" Nothing came. He was unprepared. This took him off-guard and he looked away. This disarmed his parents, and Angeline leaned forward, taking his hands more gently. "… I don't know," he whispered.

"But it's bad?" she murmured back, her voice almost lost under the rumble of the engines and the sounds of the highway. Butler was speeding, but none of them noticed.

"Were we in danger back there, Artemis?" his father asked, more calmly now.

"I believe we were," the boy replied, freeing one of his hands and covering his eyes. They stung. He didn't know why. "I observed some shady characters – two of their number left during the show and didn't return."

Angeline paled. "And Juliet?..."

"Mother, please don't-"

She cried, and Butler drove faster, the need for emotional release rising. This was war. And the Eurasian knew that Artemis would have a plan.

No one messes with a Butler unless they intended to mess with all of them.

* * *

Please review!


	3. Strangled

Artemis Fowl and associated properties are copyright to Eoin Colfer. Twilight and associated properties are copyright to Stephanie Meyer. I claim no ownership of either of these geniuses works.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

It wasn't until 3 in the morning that they were able to return to the abandoned theatre. Butler, decked in weaponry and search materials, walked briskly and with his jaw set. Artemis followed, his fairy-tech glasses quickly revealing Holly from where she sat beside a statue. Her face was grim.

"Hey there, Artemis," she said softly, fluttering to the ground and approaching. The boy swallowed and squatted to her level – his growth spurt had left him almost 5-foot, six-inches. He looked her in the hazel eyes, trying not to assume the worst.

"Hello, Holly." Her eyes brimmed with tears and she turned to Butler.

"I'm so sorry, Butler-" He crashed up the stairs before she finished, all pretense of stealth forgotten. She looked after him helplessly. "I left her in the booth!"

The manservant ran, ignoring the frantic pounding of his heart and the weak protesting of his lungs. It couldn't be. She couldn't. It wasn't possible. Butler shoved open the door to Box 3, freezing in the doorway. He felt himself go cold, and the silent room got quieter. Even the pounding in his ears was silenced.

Juliet lay on the floor, stretched out on her side, as if she were asleep. Her eyes were closed, her red lips only slightly parted. Her golden cascade of hair tumbled about her face and shoulders, fanning out on the floor. The only thing that kept Butler from believing that his baby sister was merely asleep was the gaping slash through her throat and her chalky pallor. All her lively beauty was gone.

Artemis ran up behind him (his legs were far shorter than Butler's, and he had had Holly apprise him on the situation), and stopped, just out of reach. "Butler."

The great Eurasian trembled, silently sinking to his great knees. He slowly crawled forward, his breathing becoming more ragged the closer he got. He finally touched her face and broke – he howled like a wounded animal, the agonized screaming softening into sobs.

The black-haired genius turned away, his stomach turning. Holly hovered and latched onto his shoulder, quietly crying into the dark fabric of his suit. Artemis swallowed and wrapped his arms gingerly around Holly's slim waist. Tears ran down his face as well.

But not for long. Soon enough, Butler was on his feet, Juliet in his arms. He turned to the two, and Artemis let Holly go as she moved to hover in front of the bodyguard.

"Who…" Butler took a deep breath to calm himself, and Juliet shifted in his arms slightly – one cold arm swung uselessly. "Who did this to her?" Holly looked into his eyes, unsure about his ability to take things rationally at the moment. He became impatient and stepped forward. "Short, who did this to her?"

Her mouth went dry and she fluttered back a bit. "… the vampires," she said, and he growled.

"Where are they?"

She hung her head, knowing that what she had to say was evil. "… The States." He walked briskly away, holding Juliet close to him – if anyone had seen his dark, merciless eyes, they would have thought they had gone red. Butler needed blood.

Artemis, however, was unperturbed. "… Was it really the vampires, Holly?" he asked, voice strained. She was relieved that she could answer him truthfully here. Fairies hate lying almost as much as they hate pollution. They considered lying a truly human trait.

"Yes, it was."

The boy nodded and began to follow his manservant, gears clicking away in his head. "… The United States?"

"Alaska."

"… Give me as much information as you have."

* * *

Alice shook her head. "Why a child?" she asked, pacing back and forth. Bella shrugged her slim shoulders and settled back into Edward's chest, comfortable. The family watched the lithe vampire pace, all sedated by the atmosphere that Jasper had created. No need for panic to cloud their thoughts at a time like this.

"We hardly want to go to war with the Lower Elements anyway," Carlisle mentioned, his voice bleak. "They've done us no harm, and we have no quarrel with them. Edward, do you know why Aro insists on using them to fight their battle?"

He shook his head, but Bella looked thoughtful. Her tawny eyes stared at the floor as she ran through scenarios in her head. Her pale lips parted for a second, as if she were about to speak, but she remained silent.

Alice looked at her for a moment. "… As far as I'm concerned, the LEP doesn't have any weaponry capable of defeating us. It really _doesn't_ make sense that he would send them at us. And to include that boy? Why add more innocent lives into the fray? He's human, even."

Bella pursed her lips. "A distraction?"

The Cullens nodded, all grim. Emmett glanced at Jasper, who was also deep in thought. "… Does Aro have something up his sleeve, Edward?"

"As far as I can hear, he's only enjoying the fact that he gets to see the opera all this month," he said sourly. "He's intelligent, I give him that. It's like he's planned this all out very thoroughly…. If, indeed, it is a distraction."

"Rather than think about the Volturi's quarrel with us, why don't we look at their issues with the Lower Elements?" Bella suggested. "Are the fairies threatening them in any way?"

Edward shook his head. "No. The LEP have actually been a help to the Volturi in the last twenty years that they've known them. Mind-wiping when a large show of power is not necessary, which leaves the Volturi to work more on other matters."

Carlisle chuckled dryly. "Such as bringing down my family."

Esme nodded. "It seems that way, doesn't it?"

"But that doesn't make sense," Rosalie protested from where she leaned elegantly against the wall. "Why distract us if we can so easily come to that conclusion that it is a distraction? Like Edward said, Aro isn't exactly stupid."

Jasper stood from where he had been lounging in an arm-chair, crossing over to Alice. "Did you see what the boy was doing?"

Alice blinked. "Sure. Sitting at a computer, talking on the phone with a fairy named Holly."

Bella swallowed. "What is the boy's name?" She stood from her husband's lap, graceful, quite different from what she had been ten years ago. Her skin had paled (as if that were possible), and her hair was a glossy, flowing ebony. It was down to the small of her back now, and she liked to braid it so it stayed out of her way. Her skin was airbrushed and flawless, like the rest of her family's, but her skin had an odd sort of blue tint to it. The bruises under her eyes were a faint lavender, almost unnoticeable – of this, Bella was quite proud.

Alice closed her eyes a moment and went very still. After a bit, she shook her head. "Artemis Fowl the Second," she said, clearly puzzled. "By the looks of it, he'd maybe fifteen or sixteen."

Bella stepped up beside her and thought a moment. "… Perhaps we need to pay a visit to Artemis Fowl."

Edward stiffened. "Bella, are you sure-"

She flashed him a feral smile. "Don't worry, Edward," she soothed. "I'm sure I'll do alright, especially if I hunt before we go."

Jasper sulked a little and Carlisle laughed. "She's right, Edward, she does have amazing control of her age," he agreed. "I think we should go. Perhaps we may be able to persuade him to convince the LEP to call off the attack."

"Why would the People listen to a human?" Emmett asked. "Although," a smile, "I do like the idea of persuading."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Artemis Fowl is a particular favorite of the People… I'm picking up the impression that he's some sort of hero-slash-pet." He chuckled. "Their leaders are particularly fond of him, except for one. But he's often overruled, so that's hardly pressing."

The Cullens rose in silent agreement, all eight unconsciously steeling themselves for the confrontation: patient Carlisle, motherly Esme, calculating Jasper, bubbly Alice, muscular Emmett, stunning Rosalie, cynical Edward, and the 'baby' of the group, fiery Bella Swan.

And the hunt was on.

* * *

Sorry I kind of crapped out on this chapter. Next coming soon - I have a five-day break, so I should be able to do a chapter or so a day. Lol, dont count on it though. Please review! That will help keep me going with this! 


	4. Backstabbed

Artemis Fowl and all associated things belong to Eoin Colfer. Twilight and all associated things belong to Stephanie Meyer. Without further ado, please enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Forty-eight hours of fruitless searching. Artemis growled a little under his breath, and Butler shifted in his own chair uncomfortably.

Artemis glanced down at his vague notes:

_The Cullens: vampire family of 8. 4 males. 4 females._

_Basic characteristics: pale, yellow-eyed, strong_

_Details: Carlisle Cullen – doctor, leader of the coven._

_Edward Cullen – telepath (ability covers great distances)_

_Esme Cullen – Carlisle's mate, other abilities unknown_

_Rosalie Hale – Emmett's mate, feral personality_

_Emmett Cullen – uses brute force in combat_

_Jasper Hale – empath, uses ability to modify atmospheric moods_

_Alice Cullen – Jasper's mate, clairvoyant (ability subjective to an individual's decisions)_

_Bella Cullen – Edward's mate, other abilities unknown._

Couldn't Holly have given him more than this? This was almost nothing! The Cullen's assets were all stealthily managed, ranging across the whole of the United States. Whoever these vampires were, they were certainly not simpletons.

The headache instantly vanished. Artemis Fowl wasn't a simpleton either. Holly had also given some of their locations, and the conditions that they lived under. Forks, Montana. Diomede, Alaska. He began typing rapidly, blue eyes flitting from window to window. The family's accounts and connections at either of the places were cold and still, but Artemis had found fairly recent transactions in their Alaska estates. Money was suddenly cut off, the accounts sealed, and it seemed like, in the financial world, the Cullen's had dropped off the face of the planet.

That meant that they were on the move and carrying a lot of cash. A quick check into Carlisle's financial records confirmed that he had siphoned out large sums about a week ago, leaving barely a thousand dollars. Artemis smiled his vampire smile (no pun intended). They somehow knew he was looking for them then. Perfect. It wouldn't be long.

He swiveled the chair around to face Butler, who sat up straighter. "… Juliet's funeral is tomorrow?" he said, voice softer than he normally would have made it. The Eurasian's shoulders slouched a little and he nodded, mute and eyes guarded. "… Very well." He stood and reached over to turn off the programs on the screen. After he had done so and run a quick virus/spyware scan, he nodded at the standard information: yes, Foaly was still in his systems. Artemis didn't really mind the centaur monitoring his activity, but he had a tracer on the fairy's computer, just in case he tried to break into his more personal files.

The boy supposed, to himself, that he should really re-attach the separate system he had waiting in his study, but he had more important things to do for now. "We'll continue operations on Saturday then," he said smoothly. Butler nodded with relief and stood, great hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Get some rest, Butler. Tomorrow will be a hard day."

"Are you going to stay up, Artemis?" he asked, a little worried. The boy never sent him away unless he wanted to do something behind his back. The body-guard almost shivered. Compression bombs and freezer trucks were not something to be mixed.

"No, old friend," he said, surprising the man a little. "I shall retire as well."

"It's only eleven."

"I know."

"… Are you feeling well?" Butler took a step foreword, but Artemis waved him off with a characteristic and off-handed shrug.

"Emotionally exhausted. There is nothing more I can do in the state I'm in. Wake me at six tomorrow, please."

Another frown from Butler. "Six?" he asked uncertainly. That was awfully late for Artemis to be sleeping in, especially if he was going to bed so early.

"Yes, please, six. Of course, if you would like to sleep longer, I'm sure my body wouldn't protest to an extra hour or so."

"No, sir, six in fine."

"Thank you then, Butler. Good night."

"… Goodnight, Artemis." Something was afoot. Certainly. This couldn't be right. Needless to say, Butler only slept fitfully that night. Perhaps it was a good thing that Artemis had asked for such a late wake-up call.

* * *

"But I feel bad," Bella was protesting, and Emmett scowled. This mission was risky enough without her complaining. The Cullens were spread out, hidden in the foliage bordering the cemetery. Broad daylight! Did Alice have any idea what could happen if someone accidentally discovered them? Edward chuckled from his place not so very far away, and his younger "brother" grumbled to himself.

"Don't worry, Bella," Alice was saying fondly. "Besides, we can pay our respects to an innocent that fell in this useless war."

"This is a bloody private funeral!" she hissed back. "This girl is being buried by her _family_. It's an invasion of privacy, watching them grieve."

"Bella," Jasper said tersely, at the end of his temper. She quieted, but her uneasy words lingered.

"Thank you," Carlisle murmured. Esme nodded. "But Bella does have a point. Alice, are you sure about this whole plan of yours?"

The girl smiled to herself. It was more a condescending smirk than a smile, a painful expression on her beautiful face. "I'm sure. The fairy will be here. Then we just follow Artemis Fowl home, corner them both, and get them to convince the LEP of this madness."

"You make it sound so easy," Edward muttered glumly. "That man… Butler, the big one, hates us with a passion. He thinks we killed her."

No one needed him to explain. They all understood perfectly well the anger, the hate, the need for revenge. The bloodlust was obvious. Alice swallowed carefully.

"We can sort this out."

"I hope so..." Emmett sighed. "He looks like a good guy."

Bella snorted. "Yeah, shave your head and grow two inches and you'll be just like him."

* * *

Please forgive me for how crappy this chapter was. I'm not feeling well today, but I hope I can upload something less slow and more exciting for you all tomorrow. Thank you so much for your support. I'm sincere when I say I couldn't have done this without you. 3

By the way, I am continually forgetting to mention that this is totally disregarding _Artemis Fowl: the Lost Colony_. I'm currently reading it for the first time, so please bear with the fact that none of the information in it pertains to this fanfiction.


	5. Stranded

Whew! The longest chapter yet! Artemis Fowl and all related paraphernalia belongs to Eoin Colfer. Twilight and all related paraphernalia belongs to Stephanie Meyer. With the fact that I am not profiting from this other than the fact that I get the honor of all your beautiful reviews in mind, please enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

The coffin was in the ground, and Artemis wasn't sure that he would be able to be straight-faced for much longer. It was starting to sink in, really, that she was gone. Spunky, loyal Juliet was gone.

He had spoken, and Butler had spoken – the various co-workers and friends had done their piece. It was almost over. Artemis was vaguely aware of Holly hovering at his shoulder, shielded. Too bad she wasn't allowed to say anything, he thought.

The young genius blinked and glanced at Butler – they were the only two left standing there. The other mourners had left to recollect themselves and let those closer to Juliet grieve privately. Holly unshielded now, smiling at them through her helmet.

"Hey," she murmured. Butler glanced at her before setting his jaw and looking away. "It was a nice service."

"It was," Artemis said fluidly. He momentarily looked at his manservant. "Butler, would you like to remain here?"

"… No, I'm ready to go," the Eurasian replied, his voice deceptively calm. Artemis nodded and the three headed for the car. After a few feet of silence, Butler spared a look at Holly. "Any news?"

The fairy swallowed. "The family is on the move – somehow, they found all the tracking devices Foaly had installed and managed to disrupt them. You can bet he's pissed." She forced a laugh. "We think that they somehow were warned by some of their friends that we would be after them and have gone into hiding." She shot a nervous glance at Artemis. "Will that be a problem?"

"Yes," the boy replied simply, and Butler couldn't repress a growl of frustration. "But only because you haven't given me all the information you know." He gave Holly a pointed look. "I need more, Holly, not just some general nonsense that I can look up on Yahoo." Holly bit her lip and fluttered down to his level. He raised an eyebrow and looked her over before she could speak. "I thought you were a PI now," he said, poking her leg – the jumpsuit was clearly LEP issued.

She rolled her eyes. "I've been asked to come back," she said smugly. "Sool's poor heart couldn't take the pressure, so he… was asked politely to resign. The Council tossed him out on his rear."

Artemis grinned. "Who took his place?"

"Take a guess." She pulled out her badge and showed it to him. The Gnommish was easy to read and Artemis couldn't help but chuckle. "Commander Short, a pleasure to meet you." He shook Holly's hand as she nodded, and even Butler looked impressed. "I assume that you've access to various retrieval materials?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, our trackers were removed from their belongings and jammed somehow. We don't have much to go on."

"Tell me everything the People know about vampires," he urged as they paced out of the gates. Butler stepped ahead of them, ever the faithful bodyguard, and began checking over the car for bombs or devices.

Holly paused a moment. "Well…" She took a deep breath. "We only came in contact with them about twenty years ago, and then again, we really didn't come in contact with _them_… their leaders sort of stumbled across us." She shivered. "How they managed to stay out of Foaly's vision, none of us know. They have a main sort of base in Volterra, Italy. Not all the vampires live there, but there is sort of a… how do I put this, ruling class that does – they're called the Volturi. They run a sort of massive operation where they keep all the vampires of the world in check from that one base." Another shiver. "If the LEP had that sort of power over the People, even you wouldn't know what was going on beneath your feet, Artemis."

The boy frowned. "So… This ruling family, the Volturi… Are they the ones we're dealing with here?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no. We're dealing with another branch of vampires, a sort of rival class called the Cullens." She looked sad for a moment. "They're… different from normal vampires, that's all I know. More organized, more civilized than even the Volturi. I'm guessing that Aro – he's the leader of the Volturi – is beginning to feel threatened. Apparently, in the last ten years, they've become the next largest, stable clan in the world."

"So this Aro asked you to exterminate the Cullens?" Artemis asked. When she nodded, he frowned. "That's strange. If they have so much power over all the vampires in the world, why would they ask the People, who didn't even know about the vampire's existence until only two decades ago, to do something like this?"

Holly shrugged and Butler motioned for them to get in the car. They slid in and resumed their conversation.

"We have an excavation bomb in the making that Foaly says might be some help," she said uncertainly, sitting next to him.

Artemis thought a moment. "What do you know about their strengths and weaknesses that might lead our centaur friend to that conclusion?"

"Well…" She blushed and looked away. "There are some pagan texts that we found… they look to be some sort of ancient Gnommish mixed with Native American, mainly Algonquian. It talks about the origination of "cold ones", as the werewolves call the vampires-"

"Werewolves?"

* * *

Edward couldn't help but laugh as they ran behind the vehicle. Bella darted to his side, wanting to ask what he had heard. He merely grinned, dashing deeper into the dark foliage along the road. "Apparently the boy was not aware of the existence of werewolves, either."

She laughed with him, their bell-like tones mingling. "Was he surprised?"

"Mildly."

Alice got closer, her face a little concerned. "Problem," she murmured. "His parents will be home."

Edward nodded. "Then we'll have to get them out." He stopped for a moment, still on the side of the road, and pulled out his phone. The others continued on, knowing that he would catch up in due time. He dialed a number and waited patiently. "… Mr. Fowl?" he asked, voice tinted with a perfect British accent. "I'm afraid that your stocks in my company haven't taken a very good turn…"

* * *

Artemis held up his hand as Holly was about done with her laughing. He didn't very much like being laughed at, especially not by a fairy. How was he supposed to know that lycanthropy went beyond people in padded cells claiming to change on the full moon? "I need to take this call," he said, pulling out his personal cell phone. He checked the ID and relaxed – his mother.

"Yes, Mother?" he asked in an easy, neutral tone.

"I'm sorry, Arty, but your father and I have to make a business run," Angeline Fowl said anxiously. "Are you and Butler going to be alright at home by yourselves?"

The boy smiled at his mother's worry. "No, Mother, that actually works out quite well. Butler and I were going to be discussing some retirement plans, and I think he wants it to be a more private thing between us."

"I understand… You're such a good boy, Artemis," she said, her voice full of feeling.

"Thank you, Mother, you're too kind," he replied softly, looking away from Holly's surprised expression. "Goodbye, Mother."

"Goodbye, Arty, we'll see you at dinner tonight."

He nodded and closed the phone, smiling vaguely at the elf. "What's that look for?"

"Your parents think that Butler is retiring?" she asked, leaning forward a bit. "Isn't that a bit… counterproductive? I mean, he's going to be with us through this next adventure…" Her eyes widened in panic. "Isn't he?"

"Don't be so surprised," Artemis said in a soothing tone. "Our Butler has been through a lot."

The Commander sighed and looked down at her hands. "I know… but…" She glanced up at the driver's seat, where the great manservant was. "… It's still hard."

Butler chuckled. "How so, Commander?" he asked her. "You didn't expect me to live forever, did you?"

"No, but I expected you to stick around a little longer," she almost pouted, managing to keep the whine out of her voice. Whining was not very becoming of an LEP commander.

The big man laughed. "I think it's about time I started my first vacation," he murmured. "After I'm sure that Master Artemis gets through this vampire thing, of course."

The boy shook his head. "Domovoi," he said, and the car went silent. "Domovoi, I'm not a child anymore. You've done so much for me already, but I need to stop depending on you so much. I'm… thinking about starting your vacation early."

There was a long, tense pause, and Holly felt the blood rush from her face. "… Are you firing me, Artemis?" Butler asked, voice strained. His dark-haired employer laughed.

"No, old friend, I'm not. I'm just saying that you may find yourself taking your vacation sooner than later. I won't push you away until I'm sure that all things are sorted out and that…" He took a deep breath. "And that I'm sure I can live without you by my side."

Holly's hazel eyes brimmed with tears, and Artemis noticed. "Artemis…"

"Soppy? I know, it's a little unbecoming of me," he joked weakly. "Butler has been my lifelong companion, and I'm not sure how I'm going to adjust to all of this…" He shrugged helplessly. "Being on my own."

Holly shook her head violently, jumping to her feet gracefully. "You're never alone, Artemis Fowl! Not as long as I live!"

His blue eyes glimmered and he bowed his head. "Thank you Holly. I needed that encouragement." He nodded and took several calming breaths. "…" When he lifted his head again, he was Artemis Fowl, genius, and no longer Artemis Fowl, seventeen-year-old with only enough friends that one could only count them on one hand. "I'm afraid I side-tracked us. Werewolves?"

Holly scowled. "Oh… Where were we again?"

"The legends."

"Oh… Oh, yes," she murmured, nodding. "They call the vampires "the cold ones". In some of their legends, we found details about how their warriors would rip the cold ones to shreds with their teeth and burn them. Foaly interprets this as that you have to blow them into fiery bits." She rolled her eyes. "As a male, surely you can tell me what it is with the masculine fascination with blowing things up."

Artemis grinned. "I cannot."

"I can," Butler chuckled. "It inflates the masculine ego when they have nothing else to go on."

She laughed, clutching her stomach. "That makes sense!"

Butler sighed. "Juliet said that to me once."

A nervous silence. Artemis coughed and shrugged. "At any rate, Foaly things these bombs would be sufficient in wiping out this clan?"

"Like I said, they're highly, absolutely experimental," Holly said gravely. "We really have no idea. It's not like the Volturi want to hand out all of the vampire's weaknesses on a platter. We're on our own for this one."

* * *

I hope you liked it! I'm sorry it took me so long to upload this, but I've been having some serious sinus junk going on, so it's been hard to stare at the computer screen for any length of time. Thank you so much for your patience and support. I'm afraid I'll only need more patience from you, since I have to go back to school tomorrow. Please forgive me and bear with this one! **NOTE: ANY AND ALL SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS ARE INDEED APPRECIATED.** Anything you hand me, I will carefully consider and try to employ in my story. This is for your entertainment as much as mine, so I really do love your input! Thank you for stopping by! 


	6. Ambushed

Artemis Fowl and all related paraphernalia belongs to Eoin Colfer. Twilight and all related paraphernalia belongs to Stephanie Meyer. With that in mind, please enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

The eight of them hunkered outside the gates of Fowl Manor and Carlisle began sorting out the different duties. "Jasper and Alice, I would like you to talk to the manservant, Butler. I feel that your talents would be useful in making him see reason." The two smiled nervously at each other – the big one was probably going to be the hardest to convince. "Edward and Bella, I want you to talk to the elf," Carlisle continued. Jasper scowled at his 'brother' and the red-headed vampire smirked back at him.

"Why do they get to meet the fairy?" Alice pouted, looking a little put out.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Can you withstand the _mesmer_?" she asked sarcastically, tossing a golden tress over her shoulder. "Only Bella can at this point. She's the obvious choice."

The youngest vampire smiled appreciatively at Rosalie, who gave her a vague answering grin. They were getting along better, nowadays, now that Rosalie had had her chance to torment and mope and that there was no more turning back for Bella. She had given up on being angry in the last four years, which made all of the family 'breathe a sigh of relief', so to speak. Jasper was certainly in a better mood now that he didn't have to deal with her internal jealously.

Alice rolled her eyes and shrugged as Carlisle nodded. "Rosalie is right," he murmured. "Bella's powers make it possible for her to talk to the People without being subjected to the _mesmer_."

"Explain that again?" Emmett asked sulkily, also a little childishly upset about it.

Esme smiled at him patiently. "Bella's power prevents other creatures from using their own powers on her. As when she was a human, she is safe in her own mind from whatever comes at her. She can broaden this to a wider field, including those in the room as well. Further-more, she can pick and choose which powers she rejects or accepts."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I wish you were male, though," he said to Bella, and she flashed a dazzling smile back. "When you sulk, you make it hell for all of us."

"Mostly you, dear, since you're not able to do anything about it," Alice chirped, kissing his cheek. He smiled sheepishly and Edward chuckled at him.

The blonde leader of the Cullen clan waved his hand. "Back on track, please," he said politely. "Esme and I will speak to Artemis Fowl. Emmett, Rose, please patrol the grounds and warn us if anything becomes a problem." The seven younger vampires nodded and he smiled. "A clean break, please, quiet as you can make it. Do your best not to scare anyone."

Edward and Emmett laughed, together, more suppressed chuckles than much else. The girls giggled behind their hands. "Isn't that the point though?" Alice asked after she had gotten herself back under control. "To scare Fowl off of our trail?"

"No, dear," said Esme disapprovingly. "We're here for answers too. Don't forget that."

"Yes, Mama," the girl sighed, shrugging a little.

"Are we ready?" Bella inquired, tying her raven hair into a pony-tail at the base of her neck. Edward kissed her cheek and looked into her eyes seriously as the rest of their family began circling around, trying to find a hole in the security.

"I am, love, but are you?" he asked worriedly. She scoffed at him, but he continued. "I don't want you doing this unless you're absolutely sure that you can keep yourself in check." She paused a moment, and her eyes flickered to his neck. Two pale, glistening scars raked down from his ear down into his shirt, not marring his beauty, but a continual testament to her unpredictability. She shivered.

"I can handle it."

He kissed her again before glancing up at the wall. "Then let's go talk to some fairies."

* * *

Artemis had shut off the cameras in his study so that Holly could relax with them. She sat in a plush chair that he had ordered especially for her as Butler brought in tea and sandwiches – a formality, since the three of them knew that none of them would eat.

"So the People really don't have any more information than I do," Artemis said with a deep sigh. "That's vaguely distressing."

"Vaguely?" Holly snorted indignantly. "It's appalling. These vampires not only evaded us, the most advanced civilization ever, but they also _found_ us. It should have been the other way around! Our representatives to Volterra came back stumped – they had found no trace of any sort of technology that could have kept their presence hidden from us."

"Were you looking for them though?" Butler asked, sinking into an armchair beside Artemis' swivel-chair. "Were your eyes and ears trained to find the vampires?"

"No," she admitted, deflating. "I suppose not."

The black-haired genius thought a while before looking over at his friends. "Basically what we know is that we are overpowered, under-equipped, and generally unready for a war like this," he said in a soft voice. "All we have are a few unhelpful numbers and names."

Holly bit her lip. "Surely knowing their powers helps?" she asked uncertainly. "And the fact that we have bombs underway-"

There was a thud in the corridor. Butler and Holly jumped to their feet, reaching for their fire-arms, and everyone stiffened as the lock jiggled for a moment before allowing the study door to swing open. Holly immediately shielded and flew closer. Butler followed at a slower pace, and Artemis reached slowly into his desk for a 'taser' he kept there for 'just in case' situations.

The elf opened her mic frequency to match Butler's house frequency. "I don't see anyone," she said in Gnommish, her tone puzzled.

Butler frowned and stalked into the hall. "… Scan the hall, Commander," he murmured in Gnommish before glancing at Artemis and switching to English. "Secure the room."

The Irish boy nodded and the door slid closed – another few key-taps later, and the door was reinforced with titanium bars arranged in a cross-weave pattern. The massive bodyguard looked both ways as he stood in front of the now closed door. Something in his mind screamed that the situation was not right, but he flinched when he heard two more thumps – one right after the other, coming from opposite directions. He heard Holly flit towards the first one, which had emanated from the right side, towards the living quarters of Angeline Fowl. He decided to let her take care of it while he went to deal with the noise down the massive staircase.

His training told him that he really shouldn't leave the door, but something nagged at the back of his mind, compelling him to go secure the first floor. Holly was up there, anyway, and Artemis was a pretty good aim with the 'taser'. Butler cocked his handgun at eye level and began to slowly edge down the stairs, keeping to the right side, where he could have the widest view and the smallest exposed area.

Everything was quiet now. Butler felt uneasy about that silence. It felt like the house was anticipating something with bated breath. There was a _thunk_ in the kitchen and the manservant set his jaw. The instant he set foot in the room, though, there was a sudden "_Butl-"_ sound from his earpiece. Holly's voice cutting off abruptly made his blood run cold, and he turned to dash back up the stairs. There, leaning against the closed door, was a young-looking girl with spiked hair and big, yellow eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Butler," she said in a soft, musical voice. A sudden calm settled over him and he struggled against it.

"Let me go, pixie," he snapped before he realized he was fully within his own cognitive functions – he could flex his hands around his gun, he could shift, he could look away. The girl laughed.

"Pixie? Please don't be frightened by me," she said gently. "My family and I have no intention of harming you or your, ah, principle."

A lanky boy suddenly was at her side, his own eyes piercing and golden. Butler struggled again against the calm in his head, but another wave of tranquility washed over him, and he couldn't resist.

"Artemis," he growled, reaching for his earpiece before realizing it wasn't there. The boy let a broken piece of technology fall to the floor.

"We don't want to hurt you, Mr. Butler," the girl said again, her expression a little haunting – like a sad face on a porcelain doll. "Do sit down."

* * *

Your continued enthusiasm means a great deal to me! I did my best to put up another (hopefully) suitable chapter to make up for any slowness on my part. Some people have noted an interest in the werewolves, I've noticed: should I drag them into this madness or leave them be? 


	7. Surrounded

I'm so sorry that this has taken so long! Recently, things have been kinda hectic with my job and my house-life, and my computer has been freaking out on me, and I recently had finals... so yeah. Here's a lame attempt at thanking you faithful (and ever-patient) readers! I own nothing that belongs to Stephanie Meyer or Eoin Colfer...

**Chapter Six**

"I'm afraid my first words to you will be quite cliché," Artemis said to the young couple in front of him. He hid the taser behind his knee and tried to appear perfectly within control. "Welcome, I have been expecting you." The blonde man before him smiled as if relieved.

"I hope that our good will has also proceeded us," he said. "May we talk, Master Fowl?"

Artemis nodded and motioned to the couch. "Please sit."

They did, the calm woman first, then the man. The boy studied them both for a moment. "May I hazard a guess at your identities?"

Carlisle nodded. "Please." A smile graced the woman's features, and Artemis had to fight for control of his cognitive systems.

"You are Carlisle Cullen, leader of the coven. The woman beside you is Esme Cullen, your wife." They both nodded, equally serene. Artemis swallowed and turned to his desk – he pressed a button and several screens came to life. "…" He pointed at the kitchen. "I suspected you would have Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale take care of Butler, but I'm afraid you chose the wrong day." The manservant was braced to attack the duo, shouting obscenities at them. "Today was your victim's funeral."

"Victim?" Esme gasped – her first word, and Artemis was blown away by the beauty of it. Holly had warned him that they were a charismatic people, but now he was cursing every gland in his body that secreted teenage hormones. "Who, when?"

He frowned. "Juliet Butler, my bodyguard's little sister."

The woman and the man looked saddened. He hadn't expected that. "We're sorry for your loss," Carlisle said empathetically. His expression was open and honest sorrow. "Perhaps my family and I will visit her grave when we leave."

Artemis fought to keep his cool – he had suspected that they would track him to Fowl Manor in such a way, but it still shook him a bit. "… Indeed… By your reaction, though, it seems that you were unaware of how Juliet died?"

Carlisle nodded, serious. "We had no idea. I wish to assure you, though; her death was not of our doing. My family abstains from human blood – the guilt that would have been on my children's heads, had they done such a thing, would have been too great for them to bear."

The heartfelt words stung Artemis. He watched as Esme leaned against her husband's arm, butterfly-ing words into his ear, her voice softer than he could hear. These people – his eyes flickered to the screens – were not monsters. They were a family, coming here in peace to protect what they held dear. The scheming, distrusting part of Artemis was silent, and the human part of him was screaming in his head. He looked at them coolly.

"Then why have I been asked by the Volturi to annihilate you?"

Their eyes widened and they stiffened. "Aro," Carlisle breathed.

"What betrayal is this?" Esme murmured, looking at her beautiful hands sadly. "They have finally moved against us?"

* * *

Alice held up her hands as Butler ran out of breath. "Whoah, please, slow down, sir, stop breaking things," she tried to sooth, but he shot again, and Jasper gently nudged her out of the way. 

"You bloodthirsty monsters killed my baby sister and you expect me to be calm?" he growled, still fighting the reign that Jasper had on his emotions. So far, they had unsettled him enough to keep him from being able to properly aim.

The girl blinked. "Baby sister?" she asked sadly in her bell-like voice. "Was she the one you buried toda-"

"Yes, she was," he said gruffly, trying to keep his hands from shaking. Sorrow was washing over him now, reminiscent of the night they had found her lifeless body in the theatre. Agony swept through his veins and he forced his knees to resist the temptation of buckling. Alice looked at her blonde mate and touched his arm.

"Stop tormenting him," she said, her eyes welling with tears. "We both get it, Jasper, it hurts."

"He's tormenting himself," Jasper replied, looking at her. "I'm simply channeling it to the both of us so he doesn't burst. I don't see how one man can feel that much pain. She meant a lot to him, Alice."

"Of course she meant a lot to me," Butler snarled, repressing his grief with rage. "Juliet was my only family."

"We're sorry for your loss, but-"

"But you couldn't resist the pull of blood and flesh?!" he demanded, advancing forward a step. Jasper moved to stand in front of Alice, but she gently moved him out of the way.

"We don't drink human blood, Mr. Butler," she said calmly. "The-"

"You're lying!"

She finished above his shouting. "-The ones who killed your sister were the Volturi. They did this to fully convince you."

He paused, and Jasper took the chance. "You were hesitant about joining the fight. You didn't want to. The Volturi knew what would shove you into all of this, and they took that opportunity, with no regards to anything but their own goals. Please, we're not asking for forgiveness-"

"We're asking for you to believe us," Alice finished, hugging Jasper's arm now. "You can hate us until kingdom come, but we want you to know the truth. Stop all of this madness before more people dear to your heart get hurt."

* * *

Holly was a bit pissed that she was tricked that easily. Edward guarded the door, and Bella guarded the window – the only other option would be the wall, and the only piece of defense equipment she had with her was a pulse ray that could maybe kill an ant if it really tried. It was used for briefly stopping the hearts of criminals during chases, but it was no use to her in this situation. Her Neutrino wasn't any good either, according to Foaly. Apparently vampire skin was very, very tough. 

"We're sorry to startle you, miss," said the girl, tossing some black hair over her shoulder. "But we really needed to talk to you alone."

"Don't be cheeky," the elf hissed. "What do you want?"

The model-like boy smiled as charmingly as he could – the expression was threatening to Holly, like a dog baring its teeth. "We really don't want to hurt you. We just want to talk. Sort things out, as it were."

"Sort _what_ out, pray-tell?" she spat, running through the various things she could do. Wish them to bits? Not likely. They'd have HER in pieces before she could open her Book. Or pull the Neutrino to escape. Speaking of which, she thought as she glanced at her woefully empty holster, it was gone. She snarled and looked down at Edward's hand, where he gently held the gun. He must have taken it when he had catapulted from the ceiling and chased her into the room.

He shrugged and pocketed it. "I promise, you will have this back before this is all over," he murmured.

Mesmer. Duh. Holly concentrated on his eyes, which soulfully looked back. "_Please step away from the door_…"

The girl coughed uncomfortably behind her. "Sorry, Miss Short, but, um… your mesmer doesn't work on us either."

"Why the Volturi thought you could stop us in the first place, I have no idea," the redhead grumbled, and the black-haired vampire hissed at him. He smiled back at her sheepishly. "Anyway…"

"So, you two must be Bella and Edward," Holly noted, glancing between them. If ever she felt trapped and helpless, it was now… Scratch that, she felt more helpless in that den of trolls. At least with this, she had a chance to negotiate a humane death with sentient beings.

* * *

Again, thank you all of you who left glowing reviews that made me crawl through this. I LOVE READER INVOLVEMENT: if you have ANY ideas for the future plot of this story, I'd love it if you shared with me! I may or may not use it, but having plot bunnies multiplying in my brain will speed updates.

Also: All of you who are the praying type, I'd appreciate prayers for my brother. He is a civilian in Iraq, and he recently was caught in a firefight, which made me realize how mortal he was. Your prayers and good wishes are appreciated. Because of my close attatchment to my brother, I'd also appreciate it if you DID NOT flame the war or anything connected to it. I just take it really personally. Thank you for your time, prayers, good wishes, and (in some cases) silence.


	8. Subjected

Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

"By saying "they", you are referring to the Voturi?" Artemis asked Esme in a serious voice. When she nodded mutely, he shifted his gaze to a stern-looking Carlisle. "You are making it sound like they are attacking you and not innocent civilians."

"You were assigned to try and bring about our demise, were you not?" the vampire inquired softly. "They killed that girl in cold blood so that you would move against us."

"What makes you any more believable than the Volturi?" Artemis asked, his adrenaline starting to kick in. "How do I know that you aren't lying to me?"

Carlisle sighed again and leaned forward in his seat. "Please, believe us, surely the fact that we have come here to simply talk things out can convince you that we mean no harm."

"You could be trying to trick me out of something, or lull me into a state of placidity," he said in an acid tone before he could stop himself. Esme gave a small sigh of distress – she held her husband's arm tightly and tried to keep a hold on her emotions.

"Our children would never have done something like this to that poor girl, Mr. Artemis…" Her expression was tortured. "You have to understand this about us. We're not… normal vampires. We touch no blood, we feed on no humans. We…" Her honey eyes dropped. "We just want to live peacefully. We're closer to being human than… any of the Volturi, Artemis."

The genius fought against the way her voice eased his anger. "Let us… say that that is the case," he said, surprising himself on how even his voice was. "Why would the Volturi pit the LEP and you against each other? What sort of fruitless war is that? Is this Aro amused by such things?"

Carlisle's eyes widened. "No… But many of the other vampires are," he murmured. "Jane, for one… and Felix and Caius."

"Oh, Jane," Esme moaned, turning to hide her face in Carlisle's shoulder. "Aro loves her so dearly, he'd do anything for her…"

"Jane?" Artemis cut in, a little peeved at being left out of the conversation.

"A high-ranking member of the Volturi," Carlisle said softly. "Aro's personal bodyguard and favorite. He adores her… like a grandfather adores their first grandchild. He's grandiose about it. Perhaps, just to amuse her, he staged this war."

Artemis sat in shock. "For something that…" He trailed off, speechless. His fists clenched. "For that _trivial_ of a reason?!-"

* * *

Holly stared at Edward, still tight-lipped. "Well?"

He shrugged, turning his palms to face her in a sort of muted apology. "Please, hear me out… We mean no harm to your kind. Honestly. We just wanted to talk. Carlisle and Esme are currently with Artemis-"

Holly gasped, and the color drained from her face. Bella pursed her lips. "What's wrong, Commander Short?" she asked.

"Artemis is _alone_ with _vampires_?"

There was a long moment of silence before they both chuckled uneasily. "Yes," Edward replied. "But he's perfectly fine. You will find him in excellent condition once we are done here."

She twisted his words into a threat – you could only be in perfect condition in Heaven. Not that Holly believed in Heaven of course. Fairies weren't superstitious… She just liked to drop by cathedrals every once in a while, to check up on the latest trends in Sunday-wear.

"I'm sure that's what the others are saying to Artemis right now," she growled. "Killing me will do you no good. Or is this just a malicious attack? Are you starting this war for the LEP, here and now?" She balled her fists, and not just out of anger. The button in the palm of her glove would switch on a mike that connected her to Foaly. She prayed that this confrontation would give the LEP some idea of their motives… Something to make her death less meaningless and horrifying.

Bella sighed behind her. "We want no war," she said, pleading. "Please, Commander Short, I'm begging you, understand where we're coming from. We're a peaceful family that just wants answers-"

Holly cut her off sharply. "So that's why you've separated us and have us all cornered?"

Edward smiled ruefully, and for some reason, this threatened the fairy less than the 'charming' smile had. "Would you have listened if you had seen us all at once? That would be brilliant – walking up to the front door, ringing it, and asking for an audience. I'm sure that would have gone over well with Mr. Butler."

She grimaced. "What answers can we give you?" she demanded as she ignored his logical comment. "Aro just asked us to eliminate your menace of a family."

"Are those his words, or yours?" Bella asked her in a voice that sounded both angelic, and upset. It stung Holly that she sounded so… emotional, almost humanly so. All the vampires she had seen-… Scratch that, all the vampires she had heard of had been cold, emotionless, obviously not human or fairy or demon. "Is that what Aro called us?"

"No," the commander replied, cursing (mentally) the uncertainty in her voice. "That's… how you've been described to us." Was she that subjective? She knew she sounded doubtful about everything now, and she knew that this was hardly the time to be wondering which side to be on.

"No, this is the perfect time," Edward said, breaking into her thoughts. She was startled – so his telepathy wasn't just a rumor. "I'm sorry… But truly, the Volturi are actually the malicious ones. They set you up. Really, Holly… I'm sorry, Commander Short, wouldn't you grasp at a chance for a truce rather than a war?"

"Please, please, please, listen to us," Bella chimed in. "I'm sorry, this doesn't come from any sort of pig-headedness, but, Commander, the Lower Elements doesn't have a chance! You can't beat us," she said sadly. "Your bombs wont work, your people would fall. We'd be at a hostile stalemate for the rest of time."

"You know about the bombs?" Holly choked, losing her composure. That had been their ace in the hole. Now that they knew, that plan was gone. The bombs would be no surprise.

Edward looked sheepish. "If I could not know, I would. I'd remain naïve, but my… talents prevent me from letting others have their privacy. I am sorry."

Bella snorted. "If you want, Holly, I can shield you for a little bit," she said, her tone mildly sarcastic. "He can be pretty prying, I should know."

The fairy looked at her, surprised. "You can… what?"

Bella smiled beautifully, catching Holly off-guard. "For the sake of trust, and honesty," she said, "I will tell you. My power… is that I can block other… people's abilities. That is why the mesmer doesn't work. I can also prevent other people, like Edward, from using their abilities on others. So, if you want him out of your head…" She trailed off with a graceful gesture. The offer was strange to her, something she had not expected.

"Yes… please?" she asked, and Edward was suddenly giving his mate a half-hearted glare as she smiled back at him angelically. Holly blinked. She couldn't tell if the vampire had kept her word or not. "Thank you." The phrase was uncomfortably delivered from her lips. "So…?"

"So, do you believe that we are just trying to get answers?" the male asked in a sort of lazy drawl.

"… What?" Holly asked, taken off-guard. They skipped from one thing to the next without pause, and she had been left behind. She felt foolish and incompetent. "Oh… I suppose." If she was going to die, she might as well be relaxed.

"Good." Edward then opened the door. "Please, go ahead. I would for us to join my parents and Artemis."

Join them? Was this a joke? She floated close, but still stayed out of his reach. "So easily?"

Bella scowled. "I TOLD you that I should have taken the door," she shot at her husband. "You're SCARING her."

"Are you accusing me of being intimidating?" he teased her in a sardonic tone. "Surely not."

Bella crossed the room, faster than Holly could see, and she flinched when she saw the two beautiful vampires standing next to each other. The female smiled at her, somehow less threatening. "Please, go ahead."

* * *

Butler was sitting on one of the stools in the kitchen, head in his hands. "The Volturi," he finally spat, glancing up at the childish girl sitting across the counter from him. Her gold eyes stared back sympathetically. "And you…" He glanced from her to Jasper, who leaned against the door. "… your family wants to make it right?"

"As right as we can. This is a pointless war that doesn't even need to start. Aro is mental for trying to."

The Eurasian growled. "It started even before we knew it would."

"I know, your sister was dear to you. But would she really want you to fight for a pointless cause. Fighting _us_ is futile. We hold no argument with you." She sighed. "I hope your Artemis and our Edward can figure this out. After all, this does involve all of us."

"All I need is the identity of Juliet's killer."

Jasper sighed. "We… think that it may be the Volturi. Whether he or she is under orders, or an insurgent, we don't know."

"I don't care," Butler growled. "We'll help you, as long as Juliet gets some sort of justice."

* * *

Carlisle nodded at Artemis as Edward knocked on the door to the boy's study. "Your friend will see justice," he promised as Artemis, his face cold and his eyes glittering as he opened the lockdown doors. "We promise."

SERIOUSLY sorry for the late and lame update. You guys can thank my friend Dawn for this chapter - she loaned me her audio discs for the Twilight series, and I've listened to almost all of them already. They're amazing, although I wish they had voice-overs for the characters. They did one voice-over, for Jacob, in the last book where Bella is supposed to be reading his note, and it was amazing. Anyway, thanks for reading, and if any of you have plot-movers/bunnies/bombs or anything of the sort that would kick this story in the rear, I'd appreciate it.


	9. Author Note End

Author's Notice:

I'm currently at a point in my life where I'm really just too busy to really work on my fanfiction. I have too much going on, but I would really like for my kind reviewers and 'watchers' to still enjoy this story.

Thus, I would like to hand over _Pallor_ to another writer. If anyone would be interested in taking over _Pallor_, I would like you to contact me and I will give you what chapters I have.

I really hope you understand, and I appreciate your patience and response.

Iko out.


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